So today we had our monthly 4Ws and it was our most exciting one yet! Like each of the other 4Ws we've had in the past, four students led and shared with the gathering in four categories: Welcome, Worship, Word, and Witness.
Yoyo started off the Welcome with an icebreaker called "Ultimate Code". Basically, Yoyo had a bible verse that spoke to her earlier that morning, and then she had each person take a shot at guessing the number of the bible verse by narrowing down from a range of numbers. In the end, it was revealed that the verse was Psalm 37:23-24:
"The LORD makes firm the steps
of the one who delights in him;
though he may stumble, he will not fall,
for the LORD upholds him with his hand."
After we were done with the icebreaker, Eirik lead us in Worship by singing the songs "You Reign", "Jesus, Lover of My Soul", and "Amazing Grace". It was a great time just re-focusing our hearts back on the cross, the blood, and the King.
After Worship, Amanda shared with us the Word of the night. She spoke from James 1:21-25:
"Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do."
From this passage, Amanda called on us as Christians to not be just hearers of the Word of God, but doers of His Word. She addressed how sin is the barrier that hinders us from becoming doers of His Word. When our sinful state make a conscious decision to ignore the supremacy of God's Word in our lives, we have denied all the blessings that come from the liberating and perfect Word of God. When the impure and pure collides, one has to give way to another.
Amanda even used a great exercise to illustrate her point. She had each person look into the mirror and find a blemish on his or her face. She then explained that the word "forget" in the verse actually meant "neglect", which means that one intentionally ignores. So the difference between a Hearer and a Doer is that a Hearer hears the Word and intentionally ignores his or her blemish in the presence of Perfection. A Doer, on the other hand, hears the Word in humility, allows it to sink deep into his or her heart, and by the grace of God is transformed from the inside out. His or her faith begins to grow and bear fruits because the Word has taken hold of the heart and becomes the person's new reality.
To end, Amanda reminded us that rejecting the Word of God is simply missing out on an exciting adventure with God; we miss out on a chance to have a personal relationship with Him.
Lastly, Andrew shared about Witnessing and how he has been personally challenged in this area recently. In living amongst non-believers, he finds it hard sometimes to differentiate culture and sin. And when he does find an area of sin in a group of people, he is at lost of how to efficiently guide them to the Truth. He does not want to confront them and cause tension, but neither does he want to just let them remain in sin.
In the midst of his inner dilemma, he shared with the group his epiphany. For a person to influence others, he or she needs to first be personally influenced by God's Word. It's simply about reading the Word of God, accepting it's supremacy and perfection, repent, and allow the Word of God to shape you to be less like the patterns of the world and more like Christ. Christians can rejoice in the fact that being new creations meant that the Holy Spirit will cry out a desire within to be holy when the heart comes to the presence of the Almighty.
So to witness often begins from a transformed life that reflects Christ. In the same way in which God is the only one who can change your heart, we need to surrender control and let Him be the one to change the heart of others.
Hence is the 4Ws of February. It's exciting to see God reminding us on the transforming power of His Word and the benefits that comes along with trusting in Him. See you all next month, God bless!
